The drug-smuggling drug czar

Guatemala is a country where the word "ironic" has simply ceased to have any real meaning.

When my coworkers and I found out about this following story we were shocked and yet, somehow, not surprised. In fact, in Guatemalan logic, it even kinda made sense:

The chief of Guatemala's special anti-drug police force, Adan Castillo, was arrested yesterday in the U.S. on drug smuggling charges, while planning to attend a conference on the War Against Drugs.

No, really.

And it gets better than that! Attentive readers of this blog are no doubt muttering to themselves "Adan Castillo... why does that name sound so familiar?" Look back to this post, a mere 10 days ago, when Castillo announced that he would be leaving his post as Guatemala's Drug Czar at the end of December. Why?

Because he was tired of fighting a losing battle against drug smugglers!

"There are moments when you start to think you're swimming against the current," he said. "At those times, it's easy to think, 'If there aren't other institutions that can support me, if the government itself is weak in its response, then there's nothing left for me to do but leave it in God's hands.'"

Castillo said his country's anti-drug agents are no match for smugglers.

No, really.

The Associated Press tells the rest of the story:

Guatemala's top anti-drug investigators have been arrested on charges they conspired to import and distribute cocaine in the United States after being lured to America for what they thought was training on fighting drug traffickers.

A three-count indictment issued today by a federal grand jury in Washington names Adan Castillo, chief of Guatemala's special anti-drug police force, who has lamented the slow pace of progress in combating cocaine smugglers in Guatemala. Also indicted were Jorge Aguilar Garcia, Castillo's deputy, and Rubilio Orlando Palacios, another police official.

They were arrested Tuesday after arriving in the United States for Drug Enforcement Administration training on stopping drug trafficking in ports, Guatemala's interior minister and two U.S. law enforcement officials said. In reality, the DEA had been investigating the men for four months with the help of the Guatemalan government.

"More than corrupting the public trust, these Guatemalan police officials have been Trojan horses for the very addiction and devastation that they were entrusted to prevent," DEA Administrator Karen Tandy said.

Read the entire article

Since Castillo has so much experience working both sides of the aisle, he no doubt has amassed a wealth of information about the "ins and outs" of Guatemalan drug smuggling. Although he initially pleaded innocent to the charges, I have no doubt that he'll end up flipping faster than a pancake at 24-hour Denny's. Can you say "Witness Protection"?

So that "clicking" sound being heard throughout the more well-to-do zones of Guatemala City tonight is undoubtedly the closing of hastily-packed suitcases as Castillo's cocaine contacts prepare to catch a flight to any country that doesn't extradite.

Finally, always looking on the bright side of life, is Guatemalan Interior Minister Carlos Vielman, who called the arrests:

"A strong blow to the infiltration of organized crime in the structures of the Guatemalan government."

Right... so your presidentially-appointed drug czar being arrested for cocaine smuggling and distribution... is a good thing?

Hmmm. This ironic turnabout does awaken other doubts...

Dick Cheney: undercover Al Qaeda operative????

Tags: Guatemala, Drugs, Smuggling, Castillo, NAFTA

Posted by elcanche at November 16, 2005 10:13 PM